


Not As It Seems XX

by eliniel



Series: Not As It Seems Series [20]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Chocolate, Dancing, Dinner, F/M, Lingerie, Sex, Valentione's Day (Final Fantasy XIV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-31
Updated: 2020-01-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 09:14:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22493647
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliniel/pseuds/eliniel
Summary: Emet-Selch whisks the Warrior of Light away to another shard to celebrate Valentione's Day.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/Warrior of Light
Series: Not As It Seems Series [20]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175447
Comments: 9
Kudos: 84





	Not As It Seems XX

**Author's Note:**

> [The dress](https://imgur.com/a/TYQbOGg)
> 
> I had so much fun writing this one. I am honestly very proud of it. I hope you like it as well :3  
> As always, thanks to Crystal for proofreading <3
> 
> Please, if you have any one-shots you'd like to see from me that fit in with this series or not, please let me know :3

I stood at the granite counter in my kitchen, a finger tapping against my chin in thought. Laid out on the surface before me were various blocks of melting chocolate- both milk and white. I pouted my lips slightly as I debated  _ what _ I wanted to make.

Did he even  _ like _ sweets?

Surely, it didn’t matter what I made for him, right? 

He seemed to prefer homemade gifts. Or, at the very least, he didn’t seem to  _ dislike _ the things I had shared with him.

Call it my own stubbornness, but  _ this time _ I wanted it to look nice. My thoughts traveled back to the crude, unrefined snowflake I’d made for him out of electrum for the Starlight Celebration and pursed my lips. It had been quick work, and a little sloppy. 

This time...

I peered up at the chronometer on the nearby wall and crossed my arms over my chest, heaving a deep sigh out of my nose. He would be back soon, no doubt. If he didn’t stay the whole day in my rooms, or my house, he always seemed to appear at sunset and if I wanted to surprise him, I had better get moving. 

My gaze slid back to the ingredients on the counter for a long moment before I stepped forward, reaching in a cabinet underneath for a saucepan, two glass bowls, and the stack of food molds I had collected over my years of cooking. 

I filled the pan with water and set it on a front burner, flipping the switch so that it started to warm. I pulled a knife out of its block and began chopping the chocolate, putting them in their respective bowls. 

Once the water had been brought to a simmer, I placed the bowl of milk chocolate on top and stirred it with a spoon in one hand so that it melted evenly, the other hand rifling through the different molds. 

I pursed my lips as I surveyed each, setting aside two halves of a small, spherical container and a metal plate, roses imprinted on its surface. My fingers paused on a mold in the shape of a heart and I eyed it carefully.

Should I…?

There was definitely a connection- no matter how hard we tried to deny it. No matter how hard the both of us tried to hide our affections deep down inside of us, they always seemed to find their way to the surface. 

We didn’t  _ love _ each other, of course- we couldn’t, not  _ truly _ \- not as long as we stood on opposite sides of the battlefield with Zodiark whispering in his ear and Hydaelyn in mine, but this...what we had now was close, wasn’t it?

I sighed again, setting the heart down. I removed the bowl of chocolate, replacing it with the white. 

It  _ was _ the symbol of Valentione’s day, though. Surely he would understand that, right? I didn’t want to scare him away.

...Not that I could  _ really _ scare an Ascian.

I didn’t want him to pull away from me, no matter what the Scions thought. No matter what the Exarch thought. 

As the white chocolate began to melt, I positioned the heart mold in front of me and poured the milk chocolate into it. I spread it around the bottom until it was even throughout, then pushed it aside to fill the sphere, turning the container around until the chocolate coated every ilm with a thin layer.

When the white chocolate was melted and smooth, I poured half of it into the heart, the rest filling the rose mold.

A while later, as I was arranging the cooled and hardened chocolate on a decorative plate, I heard the hum of his portal, his boots on the floor. I heard the hinges of the door squeal as he swung it open. When I turned, I found Emet-Selch leaning against the frame with his arms crossed as he watched me.

Immediately, his eyes travelled to the sweets behind me and he raised a brow, inquiring without even opening his mouth. 

I looked over my shoulder at it and breathed an unsteady laugh. I had planned on remaining indifferent when I gave it to him. And it was not as if I hadn’t given him gifts before, not that I hadn’t cooked for him before. Why was I suddenly so nervous?

“It’s-”

“Chocolate,” he finished for me. “Yes, hero, I can see that.”

“Well, I was testing something,” I began, trying to explain. “And I-”

“Does this have anything to do with the fact that your Eorzean Valentione’s day is tomorrow?” he teased me, brow still raised, but a playful smile spreading across his face. The look made me flush.

“No, I-” I spun around, trying to hide the red tinge to my cheeks. “I was merely bored so, I thought we could share-”

He chuckled and I cringed. I  _ knew _ I wasn’t convincing in the least.

“If you insist, my dearest hero.” I heard him shift off of the doorframe, his steps slow and calculated as he made his way to me. My heart rate spiked when one of his arms snaked around my middle, the other reaching for the very tip of the heart I’d molded. He broke it off easily, raising it over my shoulder and to his mouth. After taking a bite, he lifted the last bit to my lips. 

I tensed and he breathed a laugh into my ear, causing a chill to run up my spine. 

“Come now,” he admonished. “You did say you wanted to share.” 

I swallowed audibly, but let my mouth drop open wide enough for him to slip the chocolate onto my tongue, fingers lingering on my bottom lip for a long moment before lightly travelling down my neck, down my arm, and joining his other hand at my waist. 

He pulled me against him, nose running up the length of my ear. My eyelids fluttered shut, a small whimper escaping my mouth as I relaxed into him.

Oh, how utterly fast my resolve broke when I was in his arms. 

“Now, I have something for you,” he breathed, placing a solitary kiss at the hairline behind my ear. “I left a dress in the bedroom. Come find me when you’ve finished putting it on.” I hummed in affirmation before he pulled back, arms releasing me from his grasp as he turned, heading for the door again. I pouted, but followed, turning to walk upstairs.

“Oh, and hero,” he called back to me. I paused and looked over my shoulder, watching as he made his way to the front room. “Do be sure to put on  _ everything _ I have chosen.” I furrowed my brow but nodded my head and continued up the stairs.

When I reached the bedroom, my eyes immediately went to the dress, carefully set on a mannequin near my bed. It was a floor-length party dress, turquoise in color, with a sheer, intricately beaded bodice that clasped around the neck with a collar of the same design, the back dipping to the middle and fastened with buttons, the skirt a delicate satin that trailed on the floor in the back. The shoes that sat on the floor next to the dress matched the color almost precisely. 

My curiosity piqued, wondering just exactly where he was taking me this time.

I walked up to the outfit, fingers trailing along the soft material when I noticed something glinting on the blanket of my bed. My eyes slid to it, realizing he had also chosen jewelry for me to wear. Bracelets and earrings made of gold, studded with some sort of black stone- diamond, perhaps. 

I froze, however, at what was laid out next to the jewelry, my eyes widening and my cheeks burning anew as his last words to me echoed in my mind. 

_ Do be sure to put on  _ everything _ I have chosen _ .

I huffed an incredulous laugh with a shake of my head and when I had recovered from my shock, reached for the black lace.

When I emerged downstairs, the satin hissing around my feet as I walked, the Ascian was lounging on my couch, lazily swirling a glass of brown liquid in his hand as he stared into the fireplace. I paused on the bottom step, crossing my arms over my chest and raising a brow at him.

I saw the hint of a smile cross his lips as if he could read my mind and he took a sip of his drink.

“Ready, hero?” he asked, turning his head slightly to gaze at me. 

“You haven’t told me where we’re going.”

“Mm,” he hummed in amusement when I refused to comment on his choice of  _ undergarments _ and stood from his seat, setting the glass down on the side table. “I thought I would treat you to dinner.” He stepped up to me, lifting a black shawl off the back of a chair on his way. I bit my lip as my eyes dragged up is body, his normal clothes replaced with a suit, the bowtie matching the dress I wore, his cufflinks inlaid with the same black stones. 

When he unfolded the shawl and lifted it,I released my lip, one side of my mouth tugging upward and I turned, letting him lay it across my shoulders. I folded it in front of me as I spun back and he held his hand out to me. 

I slid my fingers into his and, with a smug smile, he pulled me through a portal. 

To a place I did not recognize in the slightest.

I surveyed my surroundings. We stood in an alley between two brick buildings. A city, most likely, judging by their closeness and height. Sounds of merriment traveled along the air to us, but also sounds I did not recognize. Mechanical, I assumed. Something not natural.

“Are we on another shard?” I asked him, poking my head out and into the sidewalk. 

“The same as before,” he confirmed, threading my arm through his. “The masquerade.” I nodded.

“No magic,” I recalled.

“No magic,” he repeated and tugged on my arm, leading me out of the alley and around the corner to a large, windowed restaurant front. 

When we were inside and seated at a table, I ogled the interior as a waiter came to set menus and utensils in front of us before attending to his other charges. Nearly every table was occupied, parties animatedly chatting with each other, completely unaware that they were in the presence of two people from a completely different world. 

“Something amusing you?” he asked me as he unfolded his menu. I huffed a laugh, the smile already on my face widening.

“It’s just...different, is all,” I mused, eyes sweeping over the couples and families once more. “I’m surprised you were able to get a table.” The Ascian shrugged his shoulders. 

“I may have...planned this ahead of time,” he freely admitted and my brows shot up. “This world has a similar...celebration, on the very same day. In fact, the name is nearly identical. Valentine’s.” He lifted his glass of iced water and took a sip, scanning the restaurant as well. “But coming tomorrow would be more inconvenient.” 

I followed his example and opened my menu, though the words were…

“Never fear, hero,” he assured me, noticing my perplexion. The waiter arrived again and Emet-Selch expertly ordered for the both of us. I handed my menu off with a smile, then folded my hands on the table.

“So,” I started. “Why this shard?” He hummed as he examined me, leaning his cheek into his palm. 

“I find that I enjoy foods more when they are made by hand instead of magic.” A sly smile spread across my lips, to which he clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. Our server arrived once more with a bottle of wine. 

“Wipe that smirk off of your face, Warrior of Light,” he ordered after the man had left once more. “It doesn’t become you to  _ gloat _ .”

I giggled and, as I raised my glass, I saw the beginnings of a smile forming on his mouth, regardless of his annoyance. 

After we had eaten, he led me back to the alley. It  _ had _ been a nice night, loathe as I was to admit. He opened a portal, but before I could step through it, he caught my elbow in his gloved hand. I paused and turned back to him, a question in my eyes.

“Would you...be kind enough to escort me to one more place this evening?” he asked me. My mouth parted in surprise- usually, he did not deign to  _ ask _ me as opposed to just  _ telling _ me I was going whether I wanted to or not.

After overcoming my shock, I breathed a laugh and nodded my head, wrapping my arm around his, then we both stepped through together.

My eyes widened when we appeared on the other side and I dropped his arm, stepping forward in amazement. 

We stood at the edge of a cliff, a quiet sea lying still yalms and yalms below us. And above us-

Thousands of stars, twinkling in the deep blue of the night sky, a nearly full moon illuminating the ground we stood upon. 

My breath caught as I took it all in. 

Behind me, Emet-Selch hummed. I turned to find him watching me instead of the sky, a soft smile on his face. I grinned widely and nearly pounced on him, no matter the length of my dress. He easily caught me around the waist, holding me against him, my feet an ilm or two off the ground, as I threw my arms around his neck, pressing my lips to his excitedly. He chuckled, the vibration against my mouth causing bumps to rise along my arms.

He eased me to the ground, slowly sliding me down his body before releasing my waist and pulling his lips from mine. He lifted one hand to me.

“Would you care to dance?”

“Dance?” I asked incredulously, raising a brow. “With what music?”

That smug smile appeared on his face again as he snapped the fingers he was holding out to me. 

When I heard the sweet, quick tune of a violin, I perked up immediately, taking a swift look around, but found...nothing. His magic, then.

With an amused roll of my eyes, I put my hand in his. Immediately, his other and slid around my waist and he launched us into a fast waltz, in time with the phantom music. 

His brows rose, mild surprise crossing his features as he watched me move easily with him. 

“You-,” he started. “You learned to dance.”

I shrugged, unable to keep the smile from my lips as I averted my eyes to his chest. “Maybe I...enjoyed myself last time.”

He paused and I could feel his eyes still on me as I focused on the buttons of his white shirt. Releasing my hand, he moved his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up. I flushed as his eyes searched mine for a moment before he leaned into me, pressing his lips to mine. I inhaled sharply as his mouth moved against mine, slowly and gently.

Both of his hands went around my back, mine hooking under his arms as we pressed ourselves against each other, deepening the kiss as we took our time, drawing it out until the music had slowed and our breathing was heavy. 

When he broke away from my lips, he continued holding me close, slowly swaying to the sound of the violin. 

I would be content to stay like this forever, I thought. But…

“Why do you...treat me so well?” I asked him once my breathing had calmed, the smile fading from my mouth. “We’re supposed to hate each other.”

“It is true that up until recently you have been nothing but a thorn in my side,” he mused. “But, I find myself…” When his words trailed off, I looked up to him again, his eyes focused off the cliff, on the water. I opened myself to inquire further, but he sighed and turned his gaze back to me. “I find myself comforted by you, for some reason or another.” I huffed a laugh, finding myself of the same mind.

“But this…,” I began again, motioning to the cliff, the sky, the water with one hand. “You’ve shown me so many wonders and given me so much in the short amount of time we’ve known each other...I hardly think the  _ little _ things I do for you warrant  _ this _ kind of treatment.” He hummed again as he considered my words.

“One could argue that because of you, I have experienced things I otherwise would not have.”

“And you fought me every step of the way,” I reminded him with a scoff, returning my arm to where it had previously been. He huffed a laugh with a small nod. 

“Then maybe, hero, the pleasure of your company is enough to make me  _ want _ to do these things.”

His words stayed my tongue, any jab I would make to him lost, and I watched him for a long moment, examining his face. He leaned down again, pressing a short kiss to my lips before straightening again, moving one hand to cradle the back of my head. At his insistence, I rested my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes, letting the music and the gentle sound of his heartbeat lull me.

After a few minutes, the song began to drift away on the slight breeze. The sound was replaced by crackling wood and I opened my eyes again to find that we were now standing, once more, in my bedroom.

I lifted my head from his chest and he released me, shrugging out of his suit jacket and moving to lay it on the chair at my desk. 

“Did you have a good time tonight, hero?” he asked quietly. I looked over to him, a soft smile on my mouth as I nodded. 

“It was really...amazing,” I answered with a happy sigh. “Thank you.”

He stepped up behind me, fingers trailing up the length of my arms as he dipped his head down to my ear, nuzzling it lightly with his nose. Immediately, the comfortable quiet of the room shifted, the air around us becoming electrifying. 

“Now, how about we get you out of these clothes?” he breathed. An exhilarated shiver ran up my spine and I bit my lip to contain the noise that rose up my throat. 

I felt one of his hands sink into my hair, pulling out the pins that held it up. I closed my eyes and let my head bob with his movement. The locks began cascading down my back in waves, and when the last pin was out, he pushed them over one shoulder so he could deftly unfasten the clasp at the back of my neck.

He drew his fingers down the length of my spine then, to unfasten the buttons at my lower back. Another chill followed in the wake of his hand, my back straightening as bumps rose along my arms. His lips dragged across my shoulder as he unbuttoned the dress at an achingly slow pace, leaving nothing more than a whisper of a kiss on my skin over every ilm. 

He spun me around as he began peeling the bodice off of my body, revealing the black lace camise hidden underneath, following the cut of the dress he’d chosen perfectly, as well as matching pantalettes.

When the skirt of the dress slid off of my hips and onto the floor, he sat back on the bed, eyes roving my body hungrily. 

I felt my cheeks grow hot under the intensity of his gaze, unused to the way he was looking at me. I wrapped my arms around my body in embarrassment, a paltry attempt to hide myself from the ravenous look it his eyes. 

In truth, I’d never...worn anything like this-

He leaned forward, reaching for my hands, guiding me onto the bed and to straddle his lap. He took my face in both hands, one thumb stroking my red cheek, and pulled me close to him, eyes locking with mine. I stared into them, eyes wide. 

“Magnificent,” he whispered, his lips so close I could  _ feel _ the movement. That simple word broke something open inside of me, assuaging my fears, my confidence beginning to return to me.

Leave it to an  _ Ascian _ , of all people, to make me feel  _ shy _ . 

A whimper escaped me as he pressed his mouth to mine. I wound my arms around his neck, pressing my chest to his as I returned his sentiment with fervor, easily and willingly opening my mouth to him. 

He reached behind me, slipping his gloves off and letting them fall to the floor before sliding both of his hands under the top of my lace smallclothes. I shuddered at the feel of his skin against mine, and I ground my hips down into his, his increasing desire made apparent to me. 

I moaned quietly against his mouth and I felt his lips curl into a smile.

“Excited, are we?” he whispered without pulling away. His fingers trailed along my skin before inserting itself between us, his thumb brushing over the peak of my breast. When it hardened in his hand, he took the nipple between his fingers, twisting it gently. 

I tore my lips from his with a sharp gasp, my back arching. He began leaving a line of wet kisses down my throat, his heavy breathing hot against my skin, stopping at the top of the camise. He hummed in annoyance and snapped his fingers, our remaining clothes disappearing. 

“Beautiful it may be,” he said between kisses. “But it was most certainly  _ in the way _ .” 

I tried to laugh, but another whimper slipped out instead as his lips reached my other breast, placing a single kiss on it before taking it into his mouth. 

One of my hands went behind his head, fisting in his hair as his tongue flicked against my nipple, his other hand kneading the soft flesh on the opposite side. 

As he continued his ministrations, the heat in my abdomen continued building until it was nearly unbearable and I began moving against him, teasing him with the slickness between my legs. I moved my hips in a circular motion, rubbing the tip of his arousal against the bundle of nerves at my apex with every pass. 

Finally, he pulled his mouth from my breast, and in one sweeping motion, ran his tongue from the dip of my collarbones up to the tip of my chin. 

“Inside,” he growled, low and urgent, the rumble of his chest exciting me further. I acquiesced, reaching down between my legs, spreading myself wide with two fingers, and lowering myself onto him until he was fully seated inside of me. He groaned as I sucked in a sharp breath, his hands finding purchase on my hips. 

He gripped them, guiding my movements and my pace. At his silent insistence, I began undulating into him slowly. He wrapped his arms around my back and pulled me tightly against his chest. I pressed my forehead against his as my breathing picked up, mingling with his, my arms winding around his neck once more.

After a few minutes, his hands travelled further down my thighs, pulling my calves out from under me where I knelt and wrapping them around his waist so I sat in his lap instead. He hummed, pressing his lips against mine once more as he began lifting his hips into mine.

I tightened my legs around him, pushing him deeper inside of me, causing a low moan to rise out of his throat at the feel of me around him. My arms hooked under his, hands grasping his shoulders as I pressed myself down against him, meeting his every measured thrust. 

His tongue forced its way into my mouth as his speed picked up, craving more and more. 

My soft whimpers and moans increased in volume, quickly turning to cries as he began hitting the spot deep inside of me repeatedly. I broke away from his mouth, burying my face in the crook of his neck as I grew closer and closer to my end, fingernails digging into his skin as I began to lose myself. 

He hissed at the bite of pain, but he throbbed inside of me, the feeling quickly pushing me over the edge. I shuddered violently, tightening around him. His arms clamped around me in an attempt to hold me still as I rode out the waves of my climax. 

At the sound of my pleasured cries, he seemed to turn feral, hips rising frantically until he found his end as well, thrusting into me with an unsteady groan. 

His head dropped onto my shoulder, slumping against me as we sat in silence, moving only to pull himself out of me, the only sound between us our heaving breaths.

Finally, he lifted his head, examining my face carefully. He raised a hand and brushed a lock of sweat-dampened hair out of my face and tucked it behind my ear before gently cupping my face. I leaned into his touch, placing my hand over his, and closed my eyes. 

“Thank you,” I whispered, turning my head to place a reverant kiss on his palm, before wrapping my arms around his neck, tightly hugging him to me. He tensed for a moment before I felt the fingers of one of his hands running along the skin of my back.

“For?” he asked me, quietly, and I did not miss the hint of sadness in his voice. 

I wondered, then, how long had it been for him, since there was someone  _ truly _ grateful for him? How many thousands of years had passed since someone had thanked him simply for being there and meant it?

My arms loosened around him as I pulled back, lips curling into a smile before pressing my forehead to his. 

“For you,” I breathed.

I didn’t need to hear him reciprocate. I didn’t need to hear gratitude for my words. 

I found that the sound of his breath hitching was all I needed to know that he understood my words. That he believed them. That maybe...he felt the same about me. 

His fingers found my chin, tilting it up so my lips met his in a soft, chaste kiss before I pulled away, taking his hand and playfully tugged him from the bed to the bathing room to get cleaned up.


End file.
